for those of you who might have noticed, the forum has been down a couple of days - not that anyoen was posting on there, but you may have ntocied it anyway. I’ve replaced the software witha different message board software and all the forum needs now is some members and some posts…

Boltsmag Forums are open for business once again.

I’m overdue to add some links to the blogroll here. There are a lot more hockey blogs out there but there are two specifically that I’ve added to the Blogroll officially that need mention.

First off — Tom and his Sabre Rattling blog. Tom’s been posting in comments and another Florida blogger. He had gotten props from PJ Swenson during the latest Carnival of the NHL (at Sharkspage in case you missed it).

The second mention is of Delay of Game — it’s another Lightning blog of all things?!? Can you believe it? It’s operated by USF senior Chris who has been trying to keep tabs on all the movement this offseason with his “Moving day” posts so far.

Of course, i had also added Ryan at Habsblog a few days ago… but no mention to him or his effort ont eh web. Johnny did bad….

In 1992 the National Football League implemented it’s free agency system with the team Salary Cap in place. There were several periods that followed the implementation of the FA system: First was anarchy, the second was upheaval and turmoil as teams didn’t just scramble to improve their rosters but improve their bottom line in whole - jumping from city to city. The third period was a last gasp for the status quo as franchises that were pre-cap dynasties (SF 49′ers, Dallas Cowboys) took home championships until they fell aside with poor cap decisions.

The fourth period of the system was and is the parity of the league - where everyone is in contention at the start of the season and anything can happen. It’s also a period where teams have learned to beat the cap because players are just cogs on a roster. Mix and match while being fiscally sane and you will put yourself into contention while remembering that the Team comes first and the payday comes only if it can be afforded and earned.

It’s took almost 10 years to find equilibrium. Some teams still play by the old rules and can get a winner for a short time before everything goes to hell. Others are catching on to the facts of the new league — that you need to be smart and tactful in all aspects of building your team in order to contend for more than a moment.

The NHL has only just started life under the cap. It’s also only just started life with a much broader free agency. What upheaval comes now is just the begining — it’ll get worse, leaguewide, before it gets better — as teams try to find balance and find out financially what works and what doesn’t.

Will there be relocations? Will there be more anarchy? I think so. Do I regret the system? Absolutely not. Why? Because the status quo of the old system is death. The open-ended system that was yearned for by the NHLPA, or the system that looks like what MLB has in place, has proven it’s something that lags economics and turns off fans in some markets more than turning them on. One can say that MLB has experienced incredible growth since the Strike of 1994 — I can point out that MLB also turned a blind eye for ten+ years with regards to steroid abuse by players, and some of those players helped bring the fans back to the game by awing fans with feats of strength.

I might have complaints with regards to the immediate turmoil that is going on — as many fans of the game are having right now — but I’ve seen what can happen after the maelstrom subsides. My biggest complaint is simply staying the course ten years ago to ride the wave of popularity the sport had experience pre-strike. Staying the course helped lead the league down from it’s up-and-coming perch as financial insanity from the few helped drive up costs across the board. Blame Gary if you like, or blame the fact that certain groups within this sport fear change. Be it off ice through business or on ice through equipment and rules, change is bad, dontcha’ know? It leads to uncertainty and probably doom because… because change is bad!

This is only month one of the new CBA… There will be more bitching about financial stupidity by owners and players in the near future. There will be more bitching about America versus Canada in the near future as teams relocate and bad blood ensues. Yet even through this time of turmoil, the Cup and the quest for it’s glory will still be the ultimate factor in the day to day operations of franchises in the National Hockey League. That’ll never change - and that’s the status-quo that matters.

Lets go to “Tom Benjamin Fantasy Island” for a second and start dreaming of the world if the Cap wasn’t in place… Lets make it the same economic system that was in place before the shit hit the fan… Lets assume 2004-05 was wiped off player contracts and perchance a rollback occured… Just what happens to the Lightning under those circumstances?

The Free Agent Class remains Nikolai Khabibulin, Dave Andreychuk, Tim Taylor, etc. and those not tendered qualifying offers by the Lightning…. Why wouldn’t the Lightning offer players (like Brad Lukowich) contracts? Because of the rising cost to keep the Lightning together. Any Tampa Bay fan would remember the Lightning ran a tight financial ship before the lockout and only in the past season or two had allowed the extra spending to acquire key pieces of the puzzle.

The Lightning would have to also deal still with the RFA status of the likes of Boyle, Lecavalier, St. Louis and Fedotenko as we already know it.

Khabibulin doesn’t get offered 6+ million on the free agent market and that starts the merry-go-round of money…. New York, needing a solid netminder to help rebuild the Rangers, offers 10 million a season even after the salary rollback. The NHL is sent into a tizzy and Khabibulin accept the contractual offer that sets the NHL bar much higher than before.

Restricted Free Agents Jerome Ignila and Joe Thornton command 9 to 11 million a year from their respective teams. Thornton’s demands aren’t met and he holds out, while Jerome inks his 33.6 million dollar, 3 year contract.

Jay Feaster starts talking with Kent Hughes and the numbers are astronomical for what Vinny is interested in… Jay decides to put Vinny on the backburner just a bit and focus on Ruslan Fedotenko - who’s trying to get 3.5 million for his services after what he did in the Stanley Cup Final. Jay gets him down to 2.7 million a year in a 2 year contract and then moves on to NHLPA sycophant Tim Taylor. Taylor would be happy to rejoin the Lightning at the sum of 1.5 million a year and lets be known that other teams are interested in his service….

Meanwhile Kent Hughes starts playing the media game where he’s upset that his client is not getting up front status with the Lightning. “He was only the MVP of the World Cup Tournament and helped the Lightning win the Cup, you’d think they’d make his re-signing a priority….”

Martin St. Louis’ demands are more frugal than numbers being thrown out by the Lecavalier camp. Marty will be happy with a 4-5 million dollar contract as long as it’s long term. Jay and team president Bill Campbell can’t see a problem with that and the winger is re-signed.

Marian Hossa talks Ottawa into a deal that stands just below Iggy’s money in Calgary — 10.7 million a season for two years. The Lecavalier camp is more than happy to start mentioning in Quebec and other Canadian provinces, how Vinny was a more valuable asset than Hossa and worth at least the same.

The problem is the Lightning can’t afford him.

The Lightning can’t afford Lecavalier and with this insane money being offered in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Detroit, Colorado and Dallas, the rest of the league is feeling the pinch. Edmonton has put their team up for sale. Pittsburgh has declared their intention to relocate to Portland and Miami is in secret talks to amscray to Winnipeg.

What happens with the Lightning? Vinny doesn’t get his money and a bitter holdout ensues that lasts the season. The next off season the money goes up in those select few markets once again and this time Brad Richards has the outlandish demands (and Pat Morris can run circles around Kent Hughes and his negotiation style).

So, in preserving the status quo - the death of the Lightning (though with up and coming defensive prospects in the system) at the hands of being priced out at their own success is a much quicker game. The open market, capitalist system wins again and who loses? The fans in Tampa… But we don’t count in the grand scheme of the NHL anyway… Not under the new rule of Commish Chris Chelios, who succeeds Gary Bettman. Vancouver wins the Cup even after Todd Bertuzzi gets arrested on murder charges for decapitating Martin Brodeur out of frustration of the New Jersey Devi’s trapping system.

…

Yes, some of the above speculation is outlandish and hogwash but then again - you just never know how things are going to happen for sure…. Did we expect this much financial insanity and free agent binge spending after a Salary Cap was finally put into place?